


Adrenaline in my veins

by winter_romanoff



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 03:22:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15234240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winter_romanoff/pseuds/winter_romanoff
Summary: He began to wonder how his lips would feel on her lips, if his hands would be able to cup her face perfectly, how their bodies would feel if they collide. Sadly, it was just a fantasy that felt too far away





	Adrenaline in my veins

It all started in Christmas 1983, after she gave him an unexpected present. Well, not really a present, like she said, but that gesture caught him off guard and definitely wasn't expecting what she did next, a kiss on his cheek, it was soft and warm and that was when he began to wonder how his lips would feel on her lips, if his hands would be able to cup her face perfectly, how their bodies would feel if they collide. Sadly, it was just a fantasy that felt too far away, he knew that she was with Steve and Steve knew the things he was wondering. However, no one could take away that warm feeling of his chest.

And so the new year arrived, he still had a job at the local cinema and tried to find normalcy after, what he could only describe as the most traumatic year of their lives, but with Will having episodes after episodes, his mom freaking out and being more overprotective over his brother, it was going to be a long way.

It's Valentine's Day and he can feel his body tense and his nose getting stuffed and his throat getting sore but he has to finish this shift to go home, extra cash is always welcomed he thought. He was helping Kimberly, one of his co-workers with the popcorn machine when he listens to a familiar voice and turns around, it was Nancy, he always sees her at school and she has teamed up with him to make their English homework, they study together too, Nancy has a particular hard time with US History and he hates science, so they help each other. Right now she was wearing a blue sweater that made her blue eyes stand even more and he almost dropped popcorn to the floor, she looked beautiful and he wished he was right beside her, celebrating Valentine's Day together and probably make out in his car while they listen to the cheesiest mix tape, but he's not, Steve is right beside her, Steve's her boyfriend. He still talked to them thought, he was on friendly terms with Steve after everything that happened , they tell him that they're gonna watch "Unfaithfully Yours" and even thought he smiles at that, his chest was hurting. He ends the shift and goes home and wishes he’d never seen Nancy today. The next couple of days, his cold gets worst and due to his mother’s insistence, he goes to the doctor and every gets a week of rest, he doesn’t want to take it but if it’s the only way that Joyce would stop insisting, he takes it.

He comes back to school and the first one to ask him about his absence is Nancy, he wasn’t expecting her to notice and to be fair, he thought she didn’t cared. They have lunch together at the dark room and she told him all the things he missed during the week, tells him all the things they have to do in English and tells him how much she missed him. That same warm feeling he felt last Christmas was making a strong comeback, he could feel his heart pounding off his chest and wanted to kiss her so bad, but he knew his boundaries, he had to learn them the hard way so instead he chuckles, Nancy does too.

The months go by, the weather gets warmer and sophomore year is finally over, he didn’t had more plans this summer other than working and taking Will to the arcade or the Wheeler’s house, there was a silver lining thought, every time they went to Mike’s house, Nancy was either waiting for him in the living room or she would get the door straight away, she would later take Jonathan to his room and would play the mix tapes Jonathan made, they grew closer and closer, he taught her how to make her own mix tapes and once she’s done one, she gives it to Jonathan. 

 

4th of July arrives and the Byers are invited to the Wheeler’s anual BBQ party, the kids are making a water balloon battle and Nancy decides to take Mike’s old water blaster and aims at Jonathan, he takes revenge by throwing her a water balloon and falls right in her head. They play with the party and eat afterwards, until they get tired, they sit on the couch and she falls asleep on his shoulder, he can feel his eyes getting heavy too. Next thing he knows, he’s hugging her and her face is buried in the crook of his neck, he wonders if she can feel his heart beating like crazy, he wishes this moment to last forever but he knows Steve is going to pick up Nancy at any minute to go to the fireworks, he gently shakes her up and tells her he has to go, he didn’t want another confrontation with Steve so he says goodbye to her and thanks her for the party and the food.

 

It’s late August and they’re coming back to school the next day, he hasn't heard anything about Nancy, the last thing she told him is that she was going to New Jersey to see her grandmother but that was a week ago, he hears the phone ring and he picks it up, it's Nancy, she seems to be upset about something so they meet at the woods, gun and empty cans included. When he sees her for the first time in a while, he notices that she got tanned and her hair got a little bit lighter, she then proceeds to tell him about the disaster trip, how Mike and her argued, how Holly got sick and threw up on her shoes (twice) and most importantly and the thing that bothered her the most, how her parents are more miserable than ever, then she shoots and hits the can, he's amazed by it but wishes that he could just hug her and tell her that everything will be ok, that she knows how her parents are and that she will always have his back and his shoulder to cry on, instead he softly pats her back but then she hugs him. He goes to bed later, with his head on the clouds and ready for whatever this school year might bring.

 

By mid September, he doesn't hang out with Nancy as much as he has done the past few months, not because they don't want to, it's because Steve is everywhere they go, they still do their English assignments together and they still help each other when it comes to the school subjects they find difficult, but it's not the same. He gave up on Nancy a while ago, he just saw her as a friend and was pretty sure that Nancy felt the same too. One day, she arrived completely different, her hair was short and he felt like the world was spinning too fast or this girl made him go head over heels, he's in love with her, he's madly in love with her. 

 

He thought she loved to give him surprises because he wasn't expecting an invitation to a Halloween party, he also wasn't expecting her to know what he does on a daily bases, she never fails to surprise him, she says something about going to the party to "meet someone else" and he just wanted to say that he didn't need someone else cause he wanted her, but then again Steve interrupted their conversation and she seemed so happy when Steve kissed her, _"Just walk away Byers, she's happier without you anyways" _he thought to himself. By the grace of God he decides to go to the party after Will wasn't too excited about going trick or treating with his older brother, he has nothing to lose and nothing could possibly go wrong, or that what he initially thought because the minute he walks in, there's people throwing up and people dancing extremely close, this girl in a weird costume approaches him and they talk, she seems friendly but he can't get his eyes of Nancy, who was dancing to Duran Duran's "Girls on film" with Steve and they seemed to be having a good time, he could feel the jealousy and he wished he'd never come in the first place. He keeps talking to Samantha until everyone turns around and he sees Nancy walking to the bathroom, followed by Steve. He could tell that she was pissed and it's not even 10 minutes later and Steve storms off the party, almost hitting Jonathan's shoulder. He finds her in the bathroom holding a wet towel and trying (miserably) to clean off the punch all over her dress, he somehow convinces her to go home and he does, they stumble but they make way to her bedroom, he makes sure she's safe and perfectly covered up with blankets but she holds his arm and says his name and he could feel his heart skip a beat, she lets go of his arm and falls asleep.__

__

__The next day is filled with angst and hangover. She sent him a note during chemistry that said if she could have lunch with him and so they do, she tells him about what happened with Steve and asks him if what he said was true, part of him wanted to tell her the truth, Steve didn't asked him to take her home but he knew Nancy was hurting, he could see it in her eyes, so he lied, he could never hurt Nancy. She later told him that she was tired of feeling guilty about what happened to Barb and he reassures her and so, they make a plan, they're taking down the lab._ _

__They spend the day in the lab and afterwards they're on the road to find a freelance private investigator. It's night time and they find a cheap motel where they can spend the night before going on the road again, the lady behind the counter gives them a weird look when they asked for a double room but they choose to ignore it. When they changed into their pijamas and went to bed, they were having a hard time falling asleep, he wanted to turn on the lights but their moods change when Nancy says that she was having a deja vu, later they compared their scars, the scars that he never thought she would still have and it was slightly bigger than his._ _

___"What happened?"_  
"What do you mean?"  
"To us?"  
"After everything you just... disappeard"  
"Will needed me... and Steve"  
"...I waited..."  
"Yeah, for only a month" 

__She turns around and abruptly says that she wants the lights off, he obeys. He's stupid, she waited for him and failed to notice, they could've had spend all these months together if it wasn't for him, he never hated himself for that._ _

__They find the reporter, Murray Bauman, and after a whole day of just editing tapes and notes and letters, they finally uncover the truth to the world. He never really liked alcohol, but he couldn't say no to the reporter who helped them, so he takes the glass of vodka and celebrates with Nancy. "To taking down the man!" they say in unison. he realizes it's too late and they should be getting back to Hawkins soon, but Murray offers them to stay at his guest room and doesn't have a choice but stay there one more night, he asks if he could use the sofa and what he gets as response leaves him shocked._ _

___"Ok i'm confused, What's going on here? Lovers quarrel?"  
"No... I mean we're just friends" he answered  
"Friends" Nancy stated as Murray laughed  
"You've told me a lot of shockers today but that... that is the first lie"  
"It's not a lie"  
"No? You're young, attractive, you've got chemistry, history plus the real shit... shared trauma"  
"Trust issues, am I right? Something to do with your dad"  
"No... I mean my dad's..."  
"An asshole" Nancy said  
"It is a curse to see so clearly, you, you're harder to read, probably like everyone, afraid of what would happen if you accepted yourself for who you really are and retreated back to the safety of...name...NAME!"  
"Steve" Jonathan said  
"Oh Steve... we like Steve"  
"Yes!"  
"But we don't _love _Steve"_  
"What?! No, we... I mean, I do" she stammered   
"There it is ladies and germs, the second lie of the evening... So, how did I do?"  
"My goodness, you two are adorable, aren't you?... Listen, there's a pull out sofa in my study if you want it, but if I were you, I'd cut the bullshit and share the damn bed"__

____He doesn't know what to believe, the word "trust issues" and vague memories of his dad filled his brain and made it extremely difficult to fall asleep, he tossed around the pull out sofa, walked around the room and finally made his way out, only to find Nancy in the middle of the living room._ _ _ _

_______"Oh.. hey"_  
"Hey"  
"I just wanted to say... I"  
"Oh, don't...I mean, he's so drunk"  
"Wasted!"  
"Yeah... I mean, what? he knows us for a couple of hours and he's got us all figured out?"  
"Exactly! God. Okay, yeah. I feel...I'm glad we feel the same way"  
"Yeah... yeah, it's fine" they stand there and there's an uncomfortable silence, only to be broke in seconds  
"So uhm... goodnight, I guess"  
"Yeah goodnight" 

____As soon as he closes the door, he feels upset with himself, frustrated by the fact that he had the chance to tell her, she already told him that she waited for him but he was a coward for not knowing how to approach her, he wants to scream, to punch a wall and just get over those trust issues that Murray successfully exposed, instead he just puffs the pillows and and hits the lamp to turn it off and grunts. It takes him 2 minutes and 30 seconds to realize that he was making a huge mistake by not telling Nancy how he truly felt and he wasn't willing to make that mistake again, Nancy waited for him and wasn't with Steve anymore, he has been in love with this girl for a long time so, he got up the bed, determined to go to Nancy's room and just tell her. She needs to know. She has to know._ _ _ _

____His heart was pounding of his chest, he was breathing heavily and he could feel his legs shaking, this was by far one of the most nerve racking experiences of his life. In a split second, Nancy opens the door and she's right in front of him, with a slight shocked expression on her face, she just looked so beautiful in this soft yellow light that he forgot what he was going to say, so instead he decides to trust his instincts for once and kisses her. She withdraws for a second, eyes glistening and his worst fears came into his mind but then she takes a deep breath and kisses him back, slowly, passionate and desperate for more._ _ _ _

____Nancy feels just like he imagined that first time, her lips are soft and warm, his hands cup her face perfectly and he feels electricity when their bodies collide for the first time. She moans his name into his ear and proceeds to bury his face on the crook of her neck, kisses her lips repeatedly and breaths heavily, never in a million years he thought he would get to be with the girl who, literally, took his breath away. It's 2 am and he's buzzing, Nancy is running her fingers through his spine and he's smiling at her, she's smiling at him as well and he remembers what he was going to say to her._ _ _ _

_______“Nance…”_  
“Yeah?”  
“I waited a year”  
“What?”  
“I waited a year to finally explain what I feel for you, if I’d only knew that you were waiting for me, I would have done it sooner”  
“Jonathan, I was still waiting for you… like Murray said, I didn’t love Steve and I know it sounds cruel for me to say it like that but I tried to love him back, I really did but there’s some things you can’t hide or keep it just to yourself”  
“So you’re saying that you loved me all this time?”  
“I still love you Jonathan, I love you and I know it’s too early to say that but you’re the only one who truly understands me, I want to be with you”  
“I love you Nancy and I want to be with you too” 

____They kiss again and intertwine their bodies to fall asleep. The next day feels like a hazy blur, he doesn’t remember much, one minute he’s on his house trying to find answers for his family’s absence and the next one, they’re exorcising his little brother and waiting for a girl to close a gate to another dimension._ _ _ _

____They arrive at his house afterwards and go to his room, she’s shaking, scared and sweaty just like he is and try to be calm, this was by far, the second most traumatizing experience of their lives and they were only 17 years old, she has a shower first and then he follows, he offers her one of his pajamas and they go to bed, neither of them are able to close their eyes to sleep but they’re exhausted._ _ _ _

_______“We almost died again” he says_  
“I know”  
“For a second I thought I was gonna loose Will again, but you saved him, you saved all of us”  
“I don’t know how, but I did, you saved my life last year when I was trapped in that place, I thought I could return the favor I guess” she says as he lightly chuckles  
“Thank you, for saving him”  
“I would do anything for you”  
“I would too” they finally sleep and manage to not wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares. 

____The weeks go by, the story about Barb’s death runs in the papers and he goes with her to her best friend’s funeral, he then spends the afternoon with her because he knows she’s sad and she wants comfort. She’s hurt by it but she feels relieved that she brought justice for her friend._ _ _ _

____It’s December 23th, 1984, a year go he began to develop feeling towards this girl, the same girl who’s now his girlfriend and she’s dancing to one of the mixtapes she made for him, he got used to Nancy’s soft and warm lips, to cupping her face with his hands, to that electricity every time their bodies and souls collide and that warm feeling on his chest has been installed for a month. He loves her and she knows. She loves him and he knows._ _ _ _


End file.
